Personality Shift
by Super Shadowhenshin
Summary: A failed experiment causes Tommy Oliver to begin to act rather strangely. To add to the mystery Mesogog gains the aid of the mysterious Black Dragon. It's up to the students of Dr.Oliver to discover the source of his personality shift before the team is thrown into chaos.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a project I've been working on periodically for the last several months. I wanted to make sure I made decent headway in it so that I wouldn't post two chapters and hit a creative brick wall. Now that a large chunk has been completed a feel it is the appropriate time to start posting it.**

 **This story is a Dino Thunder A.U that takes heavy inspiration from the BOOM MMPR comics. Everything up to the end of the evil White Ranger arc coincides with this story and as such the narratives takes off directly after.**

* * *

Time was losing its cohesion. The thin veil that separates the world of the present from ethereal unknown had become little more than tissue paper.

Wormholes were forming, small fissures that were steadily deteriorating any sort of hope for regularity.

Outside of the sleepy town of Angel Grove the air was saturated in electricity. The density increased until the small crackling noise broke into a small pop. A dark fissure tore into the sky, and a cloaked figure descended.

* * *

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Principal Randall hissed. She leaned into the brown haired boy, her eyes alight with fury.

"I had an emergency," Conner said. "A family emergency."

"And why didn't someone sign you out?"

"Probably because they were tied up in the emergency."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe you?"

"A little." He said with a smirk.

"You have thirty-two absences," she said with a scowl, "You're lucky I haven't expelled you yet. If I wasn't too busy trying to find a different substitute teacher every day I would have already petitioned to make it illegal for you step a hundred feet within this establishment."

Conner held in his growing frustration. Principal Randall never seemed to miss an opportunity to verbally lash out against Conner's missing teacher.

The absence of had nothing to do with family problems across state, nor was it anything even remotely close. He was missing because he was a Power Ranger, and things had taken a bad turn.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't suspend you," she threatened. Conner felt ice in his stomach. His mom would literally kill him if he was suspended. He'd also get kicked from the soccer team.

Most importantly it would get in the way of being a Power Ranger…

"I think you should reconsider," a shockingly familiar voice said from beyond the open door.

Principal Randall turned to see the figure enter her office.

Conner's heart stopped as he gazed at the casually dressed man standing in the room.

" ," Principal Randall gawked, "I wasn't expecting you back so suddenly."

The man smirked and shrugged his shoulders, "I got things done a little earlier than I thought it would."

Conner didn't know what to think, last he knew Dr.O was still trapped in his Ranger suit. He figured Hayley found a way to free him last night. It was still weird that nobody told him.

"As I was saying," began, "I think that it would more harmful to young McKnight to suspend him. I think we should use an alternative punishment."

"With all due respect," Principal Randall said, "We've tried everything in our arsenal. Nothing works on him."

"In my time away I got the opportunity to consult a former mentor of mine, and he gave me some important pointers in working with temperamental teenagers. Give me an hour a week and I can mold him into a model citizen."

Principal Randall cast a skeptical eye towards the teacher. He flashed a charismatic smile, and she sighed. "I'll give you this one, but don't mess it up."

He eyed Principal Randall with an ironic gleam. "You won't regret it."

* * *

The White Dino Ranger was starting to feel discouraged, or at least as discouraged as a morphological clone could feel. He was supposed to be Mesogog's prized warrior, but that position was starting to waver.

Mesogog stood next to his new companion, the imposing black figure glanced over at the White Ranger with little regard.

The warrior's name was Black Dragon, and while his origin was still unknown. His power was unmistakable.

"I think it's finally time to attack the Rangers," Mesogog said with his reptilian mouth wedged into an awkward smile.

Black Dragon was silent a few moments. "Yes, sir."

The armored figure glanced down at the Tyrannodrones at his feet. He seemed almost disgusted by their presence. "I'll take care of them."

"Let me come," The White Ranger insisted.

"Sure," Mesogog said in a passing voice. "But don't get in his way."

The White Ranger clenched his fist tightly but followed without restraint.

* * *

Kira morphed into the Yellow Ranger as she was swarmed by Tyrannodrones. Her Ptera Cutters made short work of their robotic bodies, but their numbers were getting annoying.

Speaking of numbers she watched as her Blue companion fought off a similar posse. She frowned under her helmet. "Where is everyone?"

A figure dropped in from behind her. The newly recruited White Dino Ranger used his sword to decapitate one of the oncoming foes. Getting him on their side had been a rough road, but she was ultimately glad that Trent had stepped out of Mesogog's clutches and added some much-needed firepower to the group.

"Where's Conner?" Yellow asked out loud.

"Don't know," The White Ranger replied. "I hope he didn't get in trouble for skipping yesterday."

"Same," Kira replied, "I'm just lucky I stayed home sick."

"Yeah," Ethan, the aforementioned Blue Ranger agreed, "And I had study hall."

From within the rank of Tyrannodrones two figures approached.

Trent swore under his breath as he gazed at the White Ranger clone. The monster reflected everything that lived inside Trent while he was brainwashed by the White Dino Gem. It was his personal phantom.

Standing next to the evil Ranger was a villain none of the group had met before. His tall bulky body was made of an onyx colored metal, and his red eyes gleamed almost mechanically. Kira wanted to assume that he was just another one of Mesogog's lackeys, but she could _feel_ the power radiating off of him.

The black monster sprang into action, his body rushed at a speed even Conner would find hard to match and slammed right into the White Ranger. The monster's metal fists pounded into him, creating an endless rush of sparks.

"Not so fast, Girlie," the White Ranger clone said as he intersected Kira. His Draco Blade clashed against her daggers as she tried to find a way past him.

The onyx creature laughed down at the three Rangers. "I suppose it's time for me to retreat," he cast a sideways glance at Kira before teleporting away.

* * *

Conner stood in the middle of the school's gymnasium. For some reason that had been Dr.O's requested meet up, but the doctor was running late.

Suddenly a figure leaped down from the bleachers, Conner had to rely on his super speed to avoid getting hit.

His eyes met the eyes of Dr.O as he dodged another swing.

"Is this some kind of special training?" Conner asked.

Dr.O smiled, slamming his fist into Conner's gut. The young teen was used to taking a fair amount of hits, but this one really took the cake. He fell over, gasping for breath.

"You're soft." Dr.O said.

Conner picked himself up, "What was that for? I thought we were just sparring."

"If I was a real threat you'd be dead," Dr.O said casually.

"Did getting out of your suit mess with your head?" Conner asked.

Dr.O slapped Conner in the face. The rush of adrenaline was stronger than before, it bubbled to his chest with a small burst of anger. Conner tried to hit Dr.O back. The teacher maneuvered away from Conner's fist and slid to his side. He grabbed hold of Conner's hair and tugged him around.

Conner could feel his scalp screaming, but he ground his teeth and tried to pull himself free. He didn't know what Dr.O was trying to do, but it sure wasn't working.

Conner elbowed his teacher in the chest. The man buckled over, releasing Conner as a blood flooded into his face.

It didn't take long for Dr.O to recover. He chuckled in a friendly way, "That took longer than I expected."

Conner wasn't in the mood to talk, instead, he mustered up all of his strength and leaped at Dr.O with a flurry of punches.

Dr.O skillfully dodged everything Conner threw at him. Then when the timing was right he tripped Conner with one wide sweep of his foot. He pressed his shoe into Conner's stomach and peered down at him.

Conner felt the spit hit his face.

"Get up," Dr.O said dryly.

Conner was embarrassed and upset. Even after his hardest losses, he couldn't ever remember feeling this ashamed. It was a feeling that sunk deep into his stomach, a tentacled virus that infected every inch of space inside him.

"This isn't some stupid game," Dr.O said, sliding his jacket over his shoulders. "If you lose, you die." Conner was thrown off by this shift in his mentor. He very rarely displayed this part of himself. Conner knew that Dr.O went through some pretty hard stuff, but he always made an attempt to cover it up.

"Sometimes you have to let yourself feel angry," he added. "You wasted too much energy trying to keep your top on, just so it could blow eventually. This isn't martial arts training, this is war."

Dr.O walked off, leaving Conner hurt and alone.

* * *

Hayley was still trying to figure what happened. She glanced at the machine she had used on Tommy in hopes of releasing him from his Ranger suit. The tube-like chamber was supposed to sever his connection from the Dino Gem, but there had been a malfunction and it instead disconnected him from the Morphing Grid entirely.

Tommy had seemed confused at first, looking around the room like a lost child. After a few moments he seemed to have some kind of understanding, he took a few careful steps around.

He had amnesia, that much seemed evident. Thankfully she noticed it and introduced him to the video logs he had produced over the years. After a few hours, he seemed to have some grip on his situation. He wanted to continue his work, but Hayley had recommended he stay inside and recover a little more, but he had insisted on going anyway.

He seemed colder than she had ever seen him. Maybe he was coping with the realization he had lost his powers. It didn't matter, it still made her incredibly nervous.

The door to his lab room opened and he slowly walked inside. Hayley noticed a thin line of sweat running across his brow.

"Do you live here?" He inquired.

"Fortunately I don't," she replied.

He slid over to her and checked out her monitor. "I'm trying to figure out just _who_ this guy is," she said, pointing at the onyx-colored creature.

"Black Dragon…" Tommy mumbled under his breath.

"Where'd you hear that name?" Hayley asked, raising her eyebrow.

Tommy froze, "I… I just think that name fits."

Hayley felt a wave of skepticism, Tommy _had_ recognized that monster, and for some reason, he had decided it was better to play ignorance.

"I'm gonna head to bed," Tommy said abruptly. He stepped over to the door and waited a few moments. "Are you coming or not?"

Hayley's face flashed red. She had always thought Tommy was attractive, but she couldn't say she was attracted to him. Any other day she might actually take that offer, but not now, not while he's acting like this.

"I'll pass."

Tommy shrugged, "Suit yourself."

For a few moments she stood alone in the silence of the room, her computer hummed softly, but that did little to drone out the deafening silence.

* * *

Black Dragon was given his own room to reside in, and the White Ranger was sneaking around the corner. A few hours ago the bulking creature had retired to his own room and had since become silent.

The evil Ranger looked into the room only to find the creature cross-legged in the center of the room. At first, he had thought the creature was simply resting, but it was soon clear that it was in some kind of meditative trance.

The White Ranger slowly stepped into the room. It was an empty environment, the bed provided remained untouched, and nothing that suggested he had adopted it as his domicile.

Even the food delivered to his cell was cold and untouched.

"Let me ask you this," Zeltrax said while standing in the door frame, "Would Mesogog appreciate you snooping on our new comrade?"

"Are you implying that you trust him?" The clone Ranger asked.

"No," Zeltrax said in his tinny voice, "but I'm willing to wait for Mesogog's word before I unsheath my blade."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I do realize this chapter edges towards some inappropriate themes. While I trust that anyone reading this story can tolerate these mild suggestions I suppose it would be best to admit they do exist. I tried to edit them out originally but I couldn't find a more appropriate way to show that particular character interaction.**

* * *

Conner felt like his ear was about to be torn off. stood silently as he kept a firm grip on it, occasionally tugging it to a sharp angle.

"Don't swallow your anger," he said in a cold voice. "You won't be able to stop me otherwise."

Conner took a handful of shallow breaths, he could feel the tension boiling.

Dr.O tugged a little harder. "If you're gonna be a wimp I'll just take your Dino Gem and give to someone a little more competent."

That was it.

Conner threw the two them into the bleachers. He could feel his neck screaming with pain as it jerked at an awkward angle. Dr.O hit the wall hard, he wheezed out a puff of air and melted to the ground.

"That's a little better," Dr.O hissed.

Conner took a step back, his legs wobbled and he was almost sure they would give out. It seemed like every iota of energy had been pooled into that one attack. It destructive and demanding.

But it also felt _good._

"Is that all you got?" asked. "I shouldn't be able to get up."

"Dude," Conner said, "I'm not gonna _hurt_ you!"

"What if I was trying to kill you?" asked in a serious tone, "What if I had Kira at gunpoint?"

Conner's teacher stood with his arms folded, he was silent to allow the awkward tension to fester into its full potency.

"If you don't have the guts you might as well be dead," said and walked off.

* * *

Mesogog's latest monster was really something to behold. The white bodied, leather winged Terrorsaurus was constructed from energy lent from the White Dino clone. It had been Zeltrax's idea, while their master was still obsessed with his newest general the two were feeling a bit insecure. This was their plan to get back into the limelight.

The creature tore right through the Blue and Yellow Ranger.

"Why can't back up ever come on time?" Yellow asked as the creature tore its claws into her stomach.

A red streak suddenly rushed against the skyline. Terrorsaurus crumpled to the ground as the Red Ranger's Tyranno Staff slammed into it.

"Sleep in?" The Blue Ranger joked.

"Detention," The Ranger said casually. He used his super speed to dodge the creature's assaults. He danced around, waiting for a moment to strike. His next blow went right into the creature's rib cage, the three teens could actually hear it crack.

"Impressive," The White Ranger clone said as he stepped into the street.

Three energy arrows flew towards Red's face, but they were just a distraction. The White Ranger slashed his blade into the Red Ranger before he had time to react. Yellow sparks erupted from the Ranger's chest as he took a few paces back.

The Red Dino Ranger felt a stabbing pain from behind him, and he turned to see Zeltrax. "It's time for your demise," the cyborg spat, swinging his ax into the Ranger's chest.

"I got you, Conner!" Trent proclaimed as he rushed to the scene. The White Dino Ranger crashed into his clone and they both tumbled away into their own duel.

Zeltrax was quite the advisory, his arms swung up and down like a well-oiled piston. His relentless was overwhelming and Conner knew that at this rate he was done for.

Conner took a deep breath, he could feel the fury resurfacing. The words of echoed in his skull. " _Sometimes you have to let yourself feel angry_ ," Conner felt angry.

With a warrior's scream, Conner swung down his staff. The blunt red end slammed into Zeltrax's chest. The black metal twisted outward, spitting sparks and causing wires to spill out.

The two White Rangers were a mess of white energy. Sparks flew out in random directions and the sound of clanking metal rang out.

When the two stopped they both fell to the ground. Smoke rose from their fatigued bodies, and Trent was forcibly demorphed.

With both generals in shambles, a retreat was their only option. The two grabbed onto Terrorsaurus and were teleported out.

* * *

"You fool!" Mesogog screamed as he projected agonizing mind waves into the White Ranger's skull. "Your incompetence may have just lost us me Zeltrax!"

"M-master…" the White Ranger struggled to say, "He is a machine, he can be rebuilt."

"He is not _all_ machine!" Mesogog hissed. "And it is the organic part of him that is dying!"

"I don't know why you're surprised," Black Dragon said as he slipped into the room. "I'd expect no less from a phantom."

"What was that?" The White Ranger asked.

"You are nothing but the falsification of power. A copy. A photograph. Your relevance is fading as each day passes, just as it does to a memory."

The White Ranger was taken back. He felt a sudden stab in his chest, and the more time passed without a correction from Mesogog the worse the feeling grew.

" _I'm_ the real White Ranger!" The clone insisted.

"Prove it then," Black Dragon said smugly.

The White Ranger stormed off, with each passing step he tried to decide who we wanted to kill first.

Trent, or Black Dragon himself.

* * *

The being known as Zeltrax was clinging onto life. He could feel it slipping out of hand like coarse sand, and that terrified him. Throughout his life, he had been a man of science, but deep down he found himself spiritual at heart. This, of course, led to the fear of finally meeting god, especially in this form.

 _I have become a monster_ , he thought to himself. _One so terrifying that even the lord himself couldn't love_. For so long he had attributed this fear into his hatred of Tommy Oliver, but it didn't matter. Tommy wouldn't be the one to deliver his death and probably wouldn't even know it occurred.

A solid black figure stepped into the room. At first glance, Zeltrax thought it was the grim reaper, at second glance he realized it was none other than Black Dragon, at a third glance he wondered if there was actually a difference.

Black Dragon strolled over the bed and examined the string out wires. "You are a pathetic mess, I'm surprised you even function at all."

If Zeltrax could he would spit in Black Dragon's face, but even that was beyond him.

"The world is ending." Black Dragon said, "And I'm not just talking about yours." The strange monster ran his finger across Zeltrax's face. "I have come to destroy this world. I am the horseman. I am War." With a sudden stab, Black Dragon plunged his fist into Zeltrax's chest. He plowed right through the metal and found his steel fingers wrapped around Zeltrax's still human heart. "Goodbye, _Smitty_." With one final squeeze, the being known as Zeltrax ceased existence.

* * *

The last hour of Hayley Ziktor's life was a blur of shifting events and swelling emotions. Tommy came into the lab, he smelled of sweat and colon. His eyes were sharp and fierce, a thin smile spread across his face as he ran his hands across her shoulders.

Everything after was a tumble, a mess of tangled arms and gasps of air.

His love was passionate and determined. At first, she had felt guilty, giving into her desperate emotions wasn't something she had ever done, but that quickly faded. It was so easy to get lost inside of him, there was a vastness in the way that he desired her. She could feel it reaching and pulling her in.

When his cool demeanor broke into an animalistic gasp his eyes opened wide and he examined her as she was an alien artifact. At the peak of their intimacy, he gazed at her as if she were the only other human in existence.

She had fallen asleep in his protective arms, and when the light reached the window she realized just where her night went.

He jumped out of bed and grabbed a pair of pants. In the light morning air, she could see his toned body perfectly. His strong shoulders and defined chest, he looked like some kind of Greek masterpiece.

Then he turned around and Hayley saw the deep scars that raced across his back. They were horrible and ugly, like the aftermath of a childhood run-in with an angry lion.

Though she had never shared intimacy with him before this moment she _had_ seen him shirtless, and those scars certainly weren't present.

"I've got fresh young minds to enrich," Tommy said with a grin. He moved in to kiss her, and she accepted it. He threw on clothes headed out.

Hayley felt the guilt creep back into her system. She knew something was wrong, but as a scientist and a woman. She _knew_ that it was negligent to be so reckless and dismissive when everything pointed towards a negative outcome.

Yet she was still motionless, watching with wide eyes as the man she had just spent the night with disappeared.

* * *

Kira sat with Trent a few minutes before the morning bell. Outside of combat, the other two Rangers wanted nothing to do with the new comrade, but Kira was actually starting to warm up to him.

He was quiet this morning, much more than usual. His sketchbook was open on his lap and he was doing the line work for what appeared to be another superhero.

"What's up?" Kira asked.

Trent just shrugged, "It's probably nothing."

Kira didn't believe him for a moment, she could see the tension in his pencil, his normally thin lines were shaky and dark.

"Tell me," Kira said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm worried about Conner," he blurted out.

"What about him?" Kira asked.

Trent sighed, "Even though I was under the White Dino Gem's control I still remember how it felt. I felt _angry_ and unstoppable."

"What does this have to do with Conner?"

"Well the way he was acting- I might just be reading into it, but he was acting just like that."

Kira nodded, while she didn't exactly agree with him she knew that saying so might damage their fragile relationship. "I'll talk to Dr.O about it."

* * *

Conner plowed his fist into Dr.O's chest. The former Ranger fell to the ground as Conner proceeded to kick him. A rage as vivid as electricity flowed through him. Nothing seemed to matter outside of the sanitisation he gained from feeling his opponent suffer. Dr.O grabbed hold on Conner and tripped him to the ground. The Doctor's face was bleeding, but that didn't conceal his grin.

"You're getting better," he said.

"Yeah," Conner agreed, "I've never felt stronger." Conner felt a pang of guilt and swung his head down, "I wanted to finish Zeltrax off, but I got scared."

"It's okay," said, putting his hand on Conner's shoulder. "I don't think that would be a problem anymore."

Conner looked up at his mentor and noticed an ironic flavor to his grin. It almost seemed like he was in on a joke that went over Conner's head.

"Just remember," Dr.O said softly, "Don't hold back next time."

* * *

The White Dino clone slashed his blade through a Tyrannodrones inside of Mesogog's fortress. The thought of his last battle with Trent was playing back in his head, fueling his fury.

He knew he was a clone of Trent's morphing energy, he wasn't delusional to that fact, but that didn't extinguish the burning sense of individualism he felt. He _wasn't_ Trent, he was an entirely different being altogether.

He wasn't a pushover like his goodie counterpart, he thought as he relentlessly tore into several Tyrannodrones. He was a being of pure negativity.

The last time the two of them fought they had been equal in strength, but the evil Ranger was determined to come up on top.

"I can see that you're determined," Black Dragon said as he stepped into the room.

The White Ranger glared in the general's direction. Zeltrax mysteriously disappeared and he couldn't help but think that Black Dragon was somehow involved. Of course, the White Ranger had to realize that his hatred for Black Dragon was much deeper than that still.

"So what?" The White Ranger hissed.

Black Dragon shrugged, "I was merely going to offer you assistance."

"What makes you think I'd need your help?"

"You are an inferior model," Black Dragon said bluntly, "Your flaw is that you still treat yourself as if you're mortal."

The White Ranger tried to hide his shame, the words of Black Dragon dug deep into his skin,

"But you are _not_ mortal, you much more than that," Black Dragon paused to let the words float around the room. "Conventional training means nothing because you have no muscles to exhausted, you are a manifestation of energy, an energy of the most powerful kind."

"And how do you suggest I train then?" The clone spat in a sarcastic tone, "Peaceful meditation?"

Black Dragon did what could only be interpreted as a grin, "Let me show you."


	3. Chapter 3

The four Dino Ranger were trying their hardest to combat the Terrorsaurus. The powerful creature swatted away the White, Yellow, and Blue Rangers without much effort, but Red was actually holding his own.

The three discarded Rangers recovered and charged as a team. They moved with a synchronization that most athletes would kill for. The White Ranger jumped off of Blue's shoulders to reach eye level with the monster, he shot a few yellow-colored energy arrows, but they bounced harmlessly off its thick hide,

Red screamed out as he tossed his Tyranno Staff in the air. It twirled like a baton and flanked the monster's side just enough to knock it off balance and send it crashing to the ground.

The Red Dino Ranger retreated his staff and yelled, "Let's put'em together!"

The four combined their weapons into a cannon and fired into the monster before it could recover from its fall. The creature exploded into a ball of crimson.

Conner felt a rush of satisfaction go through him. He couldn't remember the last time a monster attack was that easy.

The celebration was cut short when the monster was revived and grown to gargantuan proportions.

The four called upon their Zords immediately.

The three combined into their three piece machine, while the White Ranger used his own Megazord.

"We can't hold back," Conner proclaimed as he slammed the drill arm of the machine into the Terrorsaurus's chest. Sparks erupted and skin tore free as the drill attempted to make its way through the beast.

A loud crash exploded from White Ranger's Megazord, and as the teens turned they caught a devastating sight. Black Dragon had taken giant form and was tearing into the robot.

The wounds on the Terrorsaurus were fatal, but the monster continued to fight. It used the distraction of Black Dragon to tear into the Megazord's thick metal skin.

With one last hit, the Rangers defeated the Terrorsaurus, but Black Dragon had already beaten the White Rangers Megazord hard enough to dismantle it, leaving its two separate zords lying helpless on the ground.

A blast of energy escaped Black Dragon and splashed against the Megazord. The three tried to maintain balance as the cockpit shook violently.

Black Dragon moved in and punched into the chest of the Megazord. The T-Rex head splintered on impact, sending stray wire and twisted metal raining down.

"Pathetic…" Black Dragon spat. The Megazord sent down its drill arm, but Black Dragon caught it and yanked it free from the Megazord's body.

"What the hell are we going to do?" Ethan screamed, "This guy is going to tear us to shreds!"

Conner gripped the controls with all of his strength. He poured all of the energy left in his body into slamming the remaining fist of the Megazord into Black Dragon's torso. Sparks exploded as metal crumpled, a dent has successfully been made in the villain's chest.

Black Dragon roared in frustration. He summoned a blast of energy that knocked the Megazord back and disappeared in a burst of light.

The Rangers had won their battle but at a cost. The Megazord fell lifelessly to its knees as the yellow colored eyes faded out.

* * *

The four Rangers didn't know what to say. They all sat silently in Tommy's base as the monitor displayed the dysfunctional Zords.

They all could see the lines forming under Hayley's eyes as she tried to formulate a speech. After a few tense moments, she sighed and began to speak. "There's no way for us to fix them, at least right now." She explained. "There are too many people watching, on top of that we can't exactly move them. The only bright side is that Trent's two Zords managed to survive and return to their proper hiding spots. So after I do some repairs on them we'll have _something_ outside of auxiliary Zords."

"I'm sorry," Conner said softly, "I should have pulled out."

"Then what?" Kira asked, "Let Black Dragon wreck the city?" She put her hand on his shoulder, "Look, you didn't have a choice, none of us did."

Conner shook her off and jumped up, "Whatever."

"Where are you going?" Hayley asked.

"School." Conner spat, "I'm late for detention."

* * *

The White Ranger sat in a meditative pose. If he had eyes they'd be closed, but instead, he simply shut out his entire vision.

"You're an illusion," Black Dragon said to the clone. Normally those words would cause a flare of malice, but they had been said too many times. They had lost all context. "Since you are an illusion you can alter your manifestation." Black Dragon's voice echoed around the large room, it seemed as if it bled from every corner. He had officially let Black Dragon inside himself.

"There is a temple hidden deep within the Desert of Despair, there you will find the key to unlocking your true potential."

The White Ranger was ready. He was going to unlock his true potential, he was going to destroy Trent Mercer.

* * *

There was no training that day, instead, Conner entered to find Dr.O standing calmly with his arms folded across his chest. He didn't smile instead, his eyes watched with powerful intent.

"I know you feel like you disappointed me," Dr.O said bluntly. He didn't offer any sort of comfort instead he watched as Conner soaked in the shame.

"There's a way for you to finally beat Black Dragon," he said cooly.

Conner perked up, "I'll do it, no matter what it is."

Dr.O offered a sneer, "Good. Because it won't be easy."

Conner nodded, he didn't care how hard the challenge was, Black Dragon single handily trashed the Megazord, anything that strong needed to dealt with fast.

Dr.O unrolled a map, "Recently an invisiportal opened up outside of Reefside, it will lead you to a place known as the Desert of Despair. Once in the desert, you will follow this map to a strange temple and you will find the Sword of Conquest. Getting that sword will be the only way for you to beat Black Dragon."

"Okay…" Conner said, slowly bobbing his head.

Dr.O looked right into Conner's eyes. "I trust that you'll get it done without any problem."

Conner was seized by an overwhelming desire to prove his mentor right.

"It'll be no problem," he said and ran off towards the edge of town.

* * *

The cloaked figure dug into a chocolate cream pie. The sweetness melted against his mouth, it was practically euphoric. He couldn't remember the last he had the pleasure of tasting something this nice.

It had been a pain to track Black Dragon all the way from Angel Grove, but he had finally caught hold of the signal.

The waitress handed him the bill, she seemed a bit standoffish and he could only assume it was because of his concealed appearance. It was disheartening to have such a friendly looking human so anxious around him, but he couldn't risk revealing himself until he understood more about this place.

He reached into his wallet and left a hundred dollar bill. He figured that they would figure it out themselves.

He took a step out and breathed in the fresh air. He had a job to do, but he was going to enjoy this paradise as much as he could.

 **A/N: Sorry for the late update, but rest assured I'm still working. This is a shorter update but I needed to set some stuff up.**


	4. Chapter 4

Conner felt the blazing heat sear into his back. He'd only been out for an hour but he was positive that he close to contracting sun poisoning. He unfolded the map Dr.O had given him. It was hard to pinpoint exactly where he was since all it displayed was sand.

Still, he carried on.

Black Dragon needed to be stopped, and he knew that it was up to him now.

A temple suddenly came into view over the horizon. It had shimmered like an illusion and he honestly figured that it might be a trick of the desert.

"If you're a mirage I'm gonna be so pissed," he mumbled.

Suddenly a blast of yellow energy exploded against his feet, sending him backward onto his backside.

A figure blurred into sight, and he had to roll to his side to avoid that barrage of yellow energy arrows.

Conner scowled at the armored figure standing over him.

"I should have known you'd follow me," he spat.

"Sorry to hurt your ego," The White Ranger clone said, "I wasn't following you."

"Then what are you here for?" Conner asked. He didn't wait for an answer and instead used the distraction to kick the Ranger's foot out from under him.

He knew that the White Ranger was after the Sword of Conquest. It didn't matter how he knew, all that mattered was that Conner got it first.

"Sorry, no time to chat," Conner said, "Got places to be." He quickly ran off, using his super speed to his full advantage.

* * *

Hayley and Tommy had just concluded another unprofessional encounter when Kira and Ethan arrived to check on things. She was sweaty and embarrassed, and despite the fact it would be impossible to tell what had transpired between her and him she still felt edged with paranoia.

"Still no progress with the Zords?" Kira asked.

"Unfortunately," Hayley chimed, "Although Trent's Zords have activated their internal repair programs."

"What if Black Dragon attacks?" Ethan asked, "That guy could level the whole city with his pinkie finger."

"Relax," Dr.O said with his hands behind his head.

"Relax?" Kira spat, "How am I supposed to relax?"

Dr.O flashed a smile, "I sent Conner to the Desert of Despair when he returns he'll have more than enough power."

Hayley felt a jolt of electricity inside her spine, "You did what?"

"Yeah," Kira chimed in, "Why'd you send him alone, and why didn't you tell us?"

The former Ranger shrugged, "I needed you guys here, and if I would have told you I'd have risked the two of you going after him."

"I don't care!" Kira snapped, "I can't believe you'd hide something like that."

Hayley was legitimately irked by the way he disregarded Kira's tone. She had noticed that when Tommy was freed from his suit he had zeroed in on Conner, but she hadn't expected him to neglect the other Rangers as well.

"He'll be fine," insisted, "I've been giving him special training just for this moment."

"I know he'll be fine," Kira blurted, "But you shouldn't have sent him without telling us."

"She's right," Ethan added.

Hayley could see the annoyance on Tommy's face. He rolled his eyes and turned around. After a few moments, the alarm started to blare. "I'd take care of that," he said with an ounce of salt in his voice, "afterward you can thank me for the fact the city still has Rangers."

The two Rangers were met by Trent as they watched the carnage unfold. Elsa stood with a posse of Tyrannodrones.

"Running out of monsters while your new friend takes a nap?" Kira asked.

"Something's wrong," Ethan said softly, "Mesogog has more firepower than ever before, so why'd he send _her_?"

"I wouldn't underestimate me," Elsa said with a scowl. She unsheathed her blade as the Tyrannodrones swarmed.

The White Ranger dueled with Elsa. "I'm glad I decided to jump ship," he commented casually, "you guys really let yourselves go."

Elsa grinned, "I wouldn't be so cocky, our new friend offered us some interesting upgrades."

Kira suddenly felt a punch to the chest as she was sent flying back. The stationary Tyrannodrone ruthlessly fired another energy blast from its open mouth.

Ethan blocked a series of speedy blows, what Elsa had said was certainly true. These Tyrannodrones were on steroids!

"It's only a matter of time before my new toys overwhelm your friends," Elsa said gleefully as she parried one of the White Ranger's strikes. "Enjoy your power while you can, because the end of the Power Rangers is drawing near!"

* * *

Conner tried to keep his balance as he sped across the desert sand. He knew this was reckless, but he couldn't afford to let the White Ranger get there before him.

The temple was close at hand, and Conner could actually _feel_ the energy. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sensation wash over him.

"Have a nice trip," The White Ranger said as he flanked Conner. The Red Ranger didn't have time to react as he was tripped and did a triple flip in the air.

He landed hard a few feet away from the entrance, even with the soft sand he heard a horrifying snapping noise.

"Good luck," The White Ranger snickered as he strolled past the Ranger and entered the temple. Conner looked down at his leg to examine the damage, it was pretty broken. In fact, he could see a slight bulge where the splintered bone pressed against his skin.

Conner screamed. He remembered what Dr.O had said and allowed his anger to fuel him. His hands dug into the sand as he moved at a snail's pace into the temple. He refused to give up now, not while being so close.

Elsa laughed as the three Rangers struggled to stand. She moved over to Trent and slid her fingers gently across his face. "If only your father could see you now…" she mused.

Trent tried to lash out, but the fatigue and pain erupted from every nerve and he was left gasping as she peered down at him with an infuriating sense of superiority.

Trent detected movement in the corner of his eye, he tried to focus but his vision was quickly fading.

Elsa held her sword up to the White Ranger's throat, "Any last words?"

Suddenly an explosion deafened the teen. He looked up to see a hole appear in the ranks of Tyrannodrones.

Elsa whipped around with a scowl on her face. "Who did that?" She hissed.

A figure leaped down from a nearby building. A black cloak concealed his face, but Trent felt that he wouldn't have recognized him anyway.

"Just who the hell are?" Elsa demanded,

The figure lifted his gun and fired. The BOOM echoed as Elsa was thrown back and blood poured from her stomach.

"If your master loves you he'll snatch you up," The cloaked figure said, "If not...well I guess you made a poor choice in alliances."

Trent struggled to stand on his own. "You shot her."

"Hate to break it to you, but she's worthless _and_ she was in the way," the figure said casually.

The figure grabbed both ends of his cloak and pulled down.

"Wait a second…" Kira said in a feathery voice. "I remember from one of Dr.O's video logs."

The brown haired man smiled as Ethan's eyes lit up. "That's Billy… the first Blue Ranger!"

Billy gave the Rangers a stressful glance, "We don't a lot of time, we need to get somewhere safe."

"I thought you'd show up," Dr.O said as he stepped over to Billy.

The two silently stared each other down. "This isn't the Billy you know," Dr.O warned, "Don't listen to a single word."

"Tell them," Billy urged the trio, "How you know who I am."

Dr.O clenched his jaw as he stared knives into Billy.

"I'm confused," Ethan said, "I thought you two were friends, I mean you guys were on the same team."

Billy laughed, "I'd sooner have dropped dead then work with him."

Billy lifted up his sleeve and revealed a circular Morpher with a sleek featureless surface. "Phantom Power!" Billy screamed as a futuristic battle armor wrapped around him.

"Billy is the Phantom Ranger?" Ethan asked.

"The _new_ Phantom Ranger," Billy corrected. "The original Phantom Ranger was murdered by Rito."

"Rito was killed by Zordon's energy wave," Ethan said.

The Phantom Ranger twisted his blaster at Dr.O, "Show them the truth. You can't hide it forever."

The Phantom Ranger fired point blank onto Dr.O, but the blast was deflected in a burst of white light.

Dr.O had morphed into a Power Ranger, but not one any of the teens had seen before. This armor was primarily white with small accents of green and gold. A shield with a symbol Ethan recognized as the Dragon Coin rested on his chest. His helmet was reminiscent of his Tiger Ranger armor, but with a crimson visor.

"I came here from another world," The Phantom Ranger said with his blaster pointed at the mysterious White Ranger "I came here to stop Black Dragon."

* * *

Conner resisted the urge to pass out. He could feel screaming vertigo threatening to swallow him whole.

His fingers clawed against the stone floor. They were red and raw, and one was already bleeding. He found himself fighting the tunnel vision, he hadn't expected a broken bone to hurt so much.

He thought back to Dr.O. He had to do this for him. His whole life nobody had put this much expectation into him, and he wasn't about to let it get screwed up.

Through painful trial and error, he managed to climb up the sandstone wall. He wasn't sure if this new limp was any faster than crawling, but it was a hell of a lot easier on his hands.

He scaled the wall while trying not to step on his leg. For a moment he accidently shifted to much pressure and a blast of pain that resulted in nausea.

Inch by inch he crawled forward, time became irrelevant. Nothing mattered anymore.

Suddenly the hallway ended and Conner fell onto his knees. Another wave of pain shot from his leg as the pressure from his fall had pressed his splintered bone further into his skin.

The White Ranger laughed, "I've been waiting for you. I want you to _see_ what I'm about to become."

The White Ranger stood beside a marble podium, and sticking right out of the top was the Sword of Conquest. The blade was a piece of art, its golden blade was utterly untarnished, and the molded raptor head carved into the hilt perfectly mirrored the ancient beast.

The White Ranger grabbed hold without a moment more of hesitation. Black electricity ran up his arm and spread around his core. He screamed out, though it was impossible to say whether he was screaming or laughing,

"I've never felt this much power before!" The White Ranger howled.

Conner knew that he only had a few moments before the bad guy quit gloating and decided to finish him off.

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!" Conner called and morphed into the Red Ranger. In this form, his leg still roared with pain, but he was stable.

The White Ranger summoned a blast of energy that flung Conner into a wall.

"You're nothing," The White Ranger hissed, "After I wipe you off this pathetic rock I can finally get Trent Mercer!"

Conner picked himself, broken bone be damned. His determination was almost strong enough to drive away the pain. Using his good leg, and a hint of super speed, Conner leped at the White Dino Ranger.

The White Ranger tried to repel him with a blast of energy, but the blast washed across his armor and ignited him with a white halo. Conner grabbed hold of the Sword of Conquest in an attempt to pry it away.

Instantly he was flooded with the sword's ultimate power. It coursed through his body like cold water on an empty stomach.

"What are you doing?" The White Ranger hissed.

An onyx colored aura surrounded the two of them and Conner felt his inner essence being ciphered into the weapon. He didn't know the true purpose of the blade, but he was learning that it was dangerous for two people to wield it at once.

A sort of power struggle went on between them, each contestant wanted to the true wielder of the sword.

Conner could feel himself slipping. The White Ranger seemed to be shifting, his armor growing more twisted in appearance.

Conner fought back with all of his strength, he pushed and pushed with everything he had.

And when that didn't work he got angry.

He wasn't going to let this half-ass villain take his sword away, not after everything that had happened. His anger flooded through him, Dr.O had shown him how to use fury as an asset, and Conner was going to put it to the test.

The White Ranger could feel the tides turning, and he whipped around to try and escape defeat, but his hand was seemingly glued to the sword.

The dark haze around them had hardened into a thick web. The White Ranger cried out as a bright light exploded around them.

Conner flew back and hit the south side wall.

The first thing he noticed was that his leg had seemingly healed. The second was that he was utterly alone.

He looked around to find that there was zero trace of the White Ranger in sight. He figured that whatever struggle the two had undergone resulted in the destruction of the White Ranger.

Conner shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if he lost to the evil Ranger.

He shook the thought out of his mind and looked down at the sword now in his possession.

The immense power felt overwhelmingly right in his grip.

* * *

The Rangers were too stunned to move, so much so that they glazed over the standoff happening right in front of them.

"Keep going," The Phantom Ranger spat.

"In our world, the fight against Zedd has been going on for 11 years." The Mysterious Ranger explained. "Black Dragon is one his many toys."

The Phantom Ranger kept his blaster steady and pointed at the new Ranger.

"Billy here is a traitor of his own people," the Ranger explained, "He ditched Earth years ago."

"At least I'm not a murder," The Phantom Ranger turned to Kira, Trent, and Ethan. It seemed as if he was about to speak.

Unfortunately, an invisiportal opened up and Black Dragon descended.

The two Ranger from another Earth turned to face him.

Mesogog appeared beside him if his monstrous expression could be described it would be aggravated. "I don't appreciate the treatment of my Elsa," Mesogog hissed.

Black Dragon lifted the bleeding human up in one arm. The other arm was raised with its palm open and pointing at the Phantom Ranger. It fired a blast that splashed against his chest and knocked him to the ground.

His armor melted away amps Mesogog approached him.

Kira leaped to intervene but Mesogog inflicted a blast of mental that forced her to her knees in agony.

" _He's mine_ ," Mesogog said as he and his lackey left through the portal.

The Mysterious Ranger demorphed in a flash of light.

He turned to the three Dino Rangers. "I'll explain more when Conner gets back."

"More?" Kira asked, "I want you to explain _everything_."

"I understand that you don't trust me," he said.

"Of course I don't trust you," Kira snapped. "You've done nothing but lie this entire time!"

"Watch your tone!" The man pretending to be Tommy snapped.

"You aren't Dr.O," Kira said, her face twisted into an ugly snarl, "You're some guy who looks like him and was _pretending_ to be him for whatever reason. _So,_ I'm going to treat you as such."

The man nodded his head. "You're right, it was a dick move after all."

"Now that you mention it," Ethan injected, "Why didn't you just tell us? It would definitely have come off a lot less creepy.

"I was going to," He muttered, "But I didn't want things to get messy."

"Well you messed up pretty bad," Trent said and walked off.

The other two Rangers agreed and silently followed.

"I was suddenly stuck in this new world with absolutely no knowledge," The Ranger explained, "How was I supposed to know if you guys were even friendly?"

Kira knew he had a point, but she wasn't going to let it win him any credit.

"We'll sort this out with Hayley," Kira said.

* * *

Kira had never heard a slap that loud. It rang out like a gunshot as Hayley started knives into the freshly discovered imposter.

"You're lucky that the kids are in here," She spat with more venom them seemed possible with her personality.

"Uh, I wouldn't say we're kids," Ethan mumbled, but Kira hit him in the shoulder.

Hayley looked more hurt than any of the others had. Her expression had twisted into a snarl as she jabbed her finger towards the door.

Her lips mouthed _leave_ , but no words escaped.

The man gave her one last glance and headed towards the door.

"Shouldn't we stop him?" Ethan asked softly to Kira, "I mean he's trying to stop Black Dragon too."

"It's better we let things play out," Trent offered, "I'm not about to get on Hayley's bad side."

The man stepped out of the room and a few moments later Hayley screamed out. It was a sudden burst of frustration and it left her looking deflated. After a few more moments she lifted herself back up. "Thankfully now that he morphed I can lock into his Morpher and track where he goes."

The three teens didn't know what to say so they all just silently nodded.

* * *

Exhausted but triumphant, Conner headed home. His victory lent to a swirling head high as he walked across the clearing. He glanced down at the sword in hand as a rush of pride swam inside him.

He had done the seemingly impossible, he beat the White Ranger and got the sword.

Conner thought of the look on Dr.O's face when he sees how much he's grown.

He smiled and slung the blade over his shoulder. Nothing could ruin this moment.

 _Not so fast, Red Ranger…_

Conner felt his blood run cold. He recognized the voice but didn't want to admit.

He shook his head and rushed home, writing it off as fatigue.


	5. Chapter 5

The man from another world stared out at the sea in front of him. His mind was abuzz with a million different thoughts. Things had messed up bad, and he wasn't sure what his next move should be.

Dammit, Billy! That punk had been a thorn in his side for the last decade.

At least Mesogog had him for now. That might give him enough time to patch things up with the teens.

"Hey, Dr.O!"

The man turned to see Conner running towards him.

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

"Hey," he called out to Conner, "How'd it go?"

Conner grinned and reached into his book bag and revealed the golden blade.

The man stood up and wrapped his arm around Conner. "Good job."

Conner began to beam, "And I managed to take care of the White Ranger."

Well, that was a surprise.

"That means we're one step closer to finally taking Mesogog down."

The pride on Conner's face was definitely a good sign. There was something else as well. A dark glimmer. As faint as dust.

It was at that moment that the man suddenly realized how we could make all of this work.

"You're ready," he said in a mysterious voice. He let the tension follow behind his pause, more so to allow himself to formulate his words carefully.

"Ready for what?"

"With the White Ranger gone and the Sword of Conquest now's the perfect time to storm Mesogog's fortress."

"Now?" Conner asked; a lopsided grin on his face. "Let's go get the others!"

The man shook his head. "They just finished a major battle and need their rest."

Conner seemed to grow anxious. "Shouldn't we just wait then?"

The man shook his head. "The invisaportal I located won't last that long." This was a falsehood, of course, he knew very well that the invisiportal was open indefinitely.

Conner still looked insecure, his eyes shifted from side to side and eventually rested on the ground. The man placed his hands on Conner's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we can do it together. I trust you."

Conner nodded, his fear was momentarily shadowed by pride.

The man couldn't help but flash a sideways grin.

He was so close he could almost taste it.

* * *

Hayley was still in the fallout from her confrontation with the Tommy imposter. Confliction ran deep under her sickened flesh. There wasn't a time in her entire life she felt so vile.

"So what do we do now?" Kira asked.

Hayley blinked, she wasn't sure how long the yellow ranger was standing there.

"Should we try to talk to the Dr.O clone- or whatever he is?"Kira asked.

"Absolutely not," Hayley barked.

"Why?" Kira asked. "If what that other guy from his timeline said is true then this is still Dr.O. He's just from a different world."

Hayley chewed this over for a few moments. Assuming that proved true then Tommy was still very much in there in some incarnation.

Still. A lot of a person's personality was determined by environment, and she had absolutely no idea what he went through in his own timeline.

Her mind drifted back to the scars seared into his muscular back. What had that man really seen?

Maybe she had prematurely judged his personality.

"Didn't that man say he sent Conner to get some sword or something?" Kira said.

Hayley nodded, "We should probably get a check on his signal." The technical wizard jumped into her chair and began to peck away at her keyboard.

A few seconds later she had latched onto his morpher's signal.

Hayley frowned, "This isn't good…"

"What?" Kira asked and looked towards the monitor. Kira didn't have the best geographical skills but Hayley could see the dots connecting in the yellow ranger's head. "That's Mesogog's lair!"

"And he's not alone," Hayley said, pointing at the white blip on the map.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Kira mumbled with her eyes locked on the screen. "Me, Ethan and Trent have to find a way to help."

"No," Hayley snapped, "it's far too dangerous."

"We can't just leave him. Conner doesn't know about the Dr.O doppelgänger, he doesn't have any idea what he's getting into."

Hayley could see the ferocity on Kira's face. Despite her displeasure, she knew that Tommy would be overjoyed to have seen it.

Hopefully, he'd get the chance.

"Fine," Hayley said. "But just get Ethan. We might need Trent's Zords if Black Dragon tries to make a move." Hayley didn't like the idea of splitting the team farther, but by the look on her face neither did Kira.

"Okay," Kira said.

Hayley could see the stress on Kira's face. It had been a long day and would definitely be a long night.

* * *

It didn't take long for the Tyrannodrones to discover they weren't alone. They darted their robotic heads towards the two intruders and offered a wild hiss.

"It's Morphin Time!" Dr.O called out and drew a morpher Conner defiantly wasn't familiar with.

"Woah!" Conner exclaimed as the mysterious white ranger made easy work of the several grunts. "Where did you get the new duds?"

"We don't have time," Dr.O snapped and rushed down the hallway.

Conner followed right behind the Ranger. He figured he should probably morph himself but it didn't feel right yet. Instead, he kept the Sword of Conquest drawn and at his side.

"I wonder where Zeltrax is," Conner said. He hadn't seen the cyborg freak since their last battle.

"He's dead so don't worry," The White Ranger said bluntly.

Conner wanted to ask how he knew but by that time they suddenly found themselves surrounded.

"Hello Rangers," Mesogog hissed. He was surrounded by thirty different Tyrannodrones, Elsa, and a new spiked plant monster. "Nice of you to show up."

"You're done Mesogog!" Conner said. In all of his time as a Ranger, he had never felt such an unadulterated rush of power.

The first wave of Tyrannodrones came rushing towards them. Conner managed to decapitate the first one and the next few after that.

The White Ranger moved with a savage ferocity. He tore through them with his bare hands and ripped the stringy wires out.

The plant creature crashed through the mob and swung it's bulky arm into Conner's body and sent him flying back. He gasped as the wind was forced out of his chest.

Morph you, idiot!

Again icicles formed in the Ranger's chest. The voice bounced around like a phantom.

But it did have a point.

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!" Red light enveloped the Ranger and he charged headfirst into the battle.

His Tyrannostaff flew right into Mesogog's newest monster and created a shock of sparks.

Don't voice commanded Conner. Luckily Conner had no plans to anyway. He could once again feel the power surging all around his form. The fiery anger consumed him from head to toe.

The creature never stood a chance.

With one powerful swing, the Red Ranger's staff rammed right into the monster's body and caused it to erupt into flames.

Elsa danced around the White Ranger. Her blade was a blur of motion as it swung past his armored form in attempt after attempt to hit him.

"Mesogog stitched you up pretty well," The White Ranger said.

"He did much more than that," Elsa said with a smirk on her face. Suddenly her skin began to darken and thin bumpy scales took the place of flesh. Long yellow talons escaped her fingertips and raced across the White Ranger's armor, a thin explosion of sparks followed but he seemed relatively unaffected.

Mesosgog watched the battle and sighed, "It seems that if you want to do something right you must first do it yourself." The lizard abomination jumped into the battle and charged right for the Red Ranger.

Conner didn't know what hit him. The charging lizard tackled him full speed ahead. With a sharp pain, Conner felt Mesogog's jagged teeth sink right into his loose armor.

The two crashed into the ground and Mesogog continued with his relentless attack. Conner knew what his only hope was, but unfortunately, it was laying on the other side of the room.

He managed to crawl out of Mesogog's grip and tried to scurry away but the lizard man quickly secured Conner's ankle. His hand clawed at the ground, reaching with all of his strength towards the sword.

"Your struggle is fruitless…" Mesogog hissed.

The Red Ranger already had it.

The moment his gloves touched the golden hilt a black mist erupted from closed hand.

The fire in his chest returned, but instead of staying at a steady burn it blazed into an uncontrollable inferno.

The Red Ranger swung the sword down onto Mesogog. It hit into his shoulder and sent a rush of sparks from his tattered robe.

While Mesogog recovered from his shock the red ranger got his feet planted onto the floor. The mist had begun to rotate around his body. He could feel the sword offering him its power.

And he was more than happy to take it.

The T-Rex faceplate on his morpher shifted in a flash of dark light. It was suddenly replaced with a black and gold raptor head.

In a moment of burning fury, Conner held out his morpher and screamed. "Sword of Conquest, Triassic Slayer!" His armor began to glow and shift as the power washed over him. The red parts of his armor darkened to crimson and a golden chest plate formed over his chest.

It became completely clear who had been speaking in Conner's head. The phantom was no longer dancing in the shadows, instead, it was basking in the spotlight, standing like a Shakespearean actor ready to blow the crowd away.

Mesogog snarled and charged head first towards the Triassic Slayer, but despite his animalistic speed, the ranger was faster. He slid to the side and held out his left hand. He could feel the morphing energy collect and expel in the form of a dozen tiny arrows.

This wasn't Conner's own power instead, it was something lend from his brain's newest guest.

The evil white ranger.

The blasts of energy tore through Mesogog and left tiny bleeding spots all over his mutated body.

"You were mistaken when you thought Black Dragon was your best assets," the White Ranger snarled through Conner's voice. Together the two souls grabbed hold of the Sword of Conquest and pushed it through Mesogog's chest.

The creature once known as Anton Mercer looked down at his midsection with disbelief. The hilt was resting nicely against his chest.

"I know little of the one you mistake for, Tommy Oliver" Mesogog hissed in a wheeze, "But I can assure you that you won't find a better world with him in my place."

"Conner?!" A female voice screeched. The Ranger turned to see his Yellow and Blue companions standing in the doorframe.

"Woah," Ethan muttered, "I mean we needed to beat Mesogog eventually, but that's a little harsh don't you think?"

No, Conner thought to himself, I don't.

When he returned his gaze to the monster he was already dead.

Elsa turned to the scene and cried out abruptly. She pushed the White Ranger out of her way to rush to her fallen master. Thick tears dragged themselves across her scaly face.

"Black Dragon!" She called. "Come in here and kill every last one of these spandex wearing freaks."

"Oh shit!" The Yellow Ranger muttered. She turned to dash out of the place but the door was currently blocked by the tall creature in plated black armor

Black Dragon pushed the Yellow and Blue Rangers away and walked right past them.

The White Ranger gave a chilling laugh.

Everyone stared in confusion until Black Dragon simply bowed to him. After that, there was much more fear than confusion.

"What happened to you, Conner?" The Yellow Ranger asked.

"I wouldn't worry about that just yet," The White Ranger said.

"I knew we couldn't trust you," Ethan said, "You never trust the alternate reality version of a person. Always evil."

"Wait, what?" Conner asked. He supposed that explained the new armor but that also splashed doubt around his chest.

"This isn't our Dr.O," Ethan explained, "He's from some messed up version of the world. Somehow Dr.O and him switched places."

"That's right," The White Ranger said. "But it's far too late to worry about that now. As you can see all of the Tyrannodrones are now under my control."

The three teens looked around, they had been so caught up in the drama none noticed the statuesque way the grunts stood.

"Mesogog's fortress is now my fortress." The White Ranger gloated.

"We have to stop him," the Yellow Ranger said. The Blue Ranger and her both armed their weapons to assault.

Conner turned to join them but the grungy voice in the back of his head boomed, we've come too far to give up everything.

"There's no point fighting me," The White Ranger said. He removed his helmet and flashed a familiar smile. "Mesogog is gone, the world is safe."

"Whatever," Ethan spat. "One narcissistic overlord is dead but we've got another one to take his place."

"Quite the contrary," The White Ranger explained, "I'm not trying to enslave humanity or take over the planet. Much like the Tommy Oliver of your world, I seek only to create a utopia for all willing to join me."

"Like I'm gonna believe that!" The Yellow Ranger spat, she held her twin dagger up and ready to strike.

"Think about it," The Tommy doppelgänger said, "The four of us with Mesogog's technology, we'd have more power than anyone else in the world. We could force every dictator to resign, end every war, every genocide. It could be peace on Earth."

"Screw off," Yellow Ranger barked.

"I see…" the White Ranger said softly.

Without a word of command, Black Dragon lifted its hand and fired a blast of white energy at the two Rangers. It exploded between them and completely melted their armor away.

In that moment of silent pressure, a soft waddling step echoed into the room. A new figure entered the hallway. It was a figure which all of the teens recognized but none of them had ever seen in person.

"I've managed to properly link the invisiportal to the interdimensional wormhole," Rita's former monster maker, Finster, said. The white creature held out a small cylindrical device with a bright red pointer at the tip and gave it to the White Ranger. "At your will Lord Drakkon."

"Lord Drakkon?" Kira hissed.

"That's right," The White Ranger said. He pointed the device at the wall and in an explosion of light a giant green hole materialized. "Do remember that name. Because you'll have to tell the Sentries who sent you there."

Without another word, Black Dragon picked up Kira. She tried to struggle against its metal grip but it was utterly fruitless. With one powerful swing, the yellow ranger was thrown into the portal before it closed as abruptly as it appeared.

Lord Drakkon looked at Ethan with a cold stare. "You might still have merit. So I'm going to give you time to think."

A pair of Tyrannodrones lifted to weakened Ranger down to the cellar.

* * *

Hayley was speechless. In all of her time was Tommy's technical assistant she had never felt such an immediate stress.

She watched helplessly as Kira disappeared off the map.

Hayley knew what that meant, but she wasn't willing to believe it.

She had to be alive. Somewhere.

Anyway. Hayley only had Trent now, and when Mesogog, Black Dragon, or who knows what else attacks they would be sitting ducks.

Fortunately, Tommy had a plan for this.

Hayley picked up the vanilla folder and dusted the film off. Inside of the folder was a series of contact numbers. Past Rangers that Tommy had met over his career.

The idea was as simplistic as it gets. If the current Rangers are out of commission they'd have to find some replacements.

Hayley took a deep breath and dialed the first number on the list.

After a few moments of overwhelming silence, the person on the other end picked up.

"Hello, this is Hayley Ziktor," she said pseudo calmly into the phone, "Is there?"

 **A/N: Well here we are folks. The mysterious Personality Shift has been resolved and the young Rangers find themselves in a rather gloomy predicament. Next, we will take a detour and explore Tommy's interactions in the strange world Lord Drakkon calls home. Check out the next story in the saga, _Devil's Playground_ , which will be posted in about a week. **


End file.
